The typical American spends close to $5,000 on home repairs and improvements in a single year. However, you might need to budget for more if you have a sinking foundation, which could cost closer to $6,000.

Signs of foundation issues can seem minor at first. However, ignoring these signs of foundation problems can add up. Over time, those issues can lead to costly issues you’ll need to address right away.

Don’t let a bad foundation eat away at your savings. Instead, keep reading to learn how to recognize you have foundation problems early on. By keeping an eye out for these signs, you can seek professional help before the damage gets costly.

Get started with these tips!

1. Sagging, Uneven Floors

As you look for signs of foundation issues around the house, make sure to check your floors. Are your floors starting to slope? Maybe they seem uneven.

Sagging, uneven floors indicate a serious foundation issue. These two signs are usually combined with other foundation problems. For example, you might begin to notice cracks in your drywall as well.

In addition to sagging floors, look out for:

• A floor that sags toward the center of your home
• Sinking or heaving concrete slabs
• Interior doors jamming
• Floor cracks

Sagging floors can become a dangerous problem if you live them unrepaired. They’ll also make your home appear unsightly, which could make selling your home difficult in the future. If you notice your floors are beginning to sag, make sure to call a foundation repair expert right away.

2. Gaps Around Your Doors or Windows

After checking on your floors, take a look at your windows and doors, too. Large gaps around your door and window frames could indicate a bad foundation. These signs of foundation issues are easy to recognize, so it’s important you look for them right away.

If your home has any double doors, they might not align the way they should. Any misalignment between your doors and the frame could make the doors difficult to close.

You might notice your doorframes are now crooked, too. Crooked doorframes will make it difficult for you to use your doors as expected.

If you start to recognize these signs of foundation problems, it’s time to call in a professional.

3. Sinking or Settling

The national cost for foundation repair falls between $350 and $1,350. The longer you wait to repair a bad foundation, the more likely the costs will go up.

Is your foundation settling or sinking? You might notice:

• Leaning or bowing walls
• Cracks in your home’s exterior
• Gaps around your home’s exterior doors and windows

Once you notice these signs, call a professional immediately. A sinking or settling foundation can cause major issues, including structural damage. You’ll want to get started on repairs right away.

Foundation sinking or settling often occurs due to:

• Ground movement
• Bad drainage
• Poor construction
• Uneven soil beneath the structure

In addition to making your home’s foundation issues more complicated, severe settling can also cause safety issues. Repairing the problem right away can ensure your home is safer for everyone.

4. Cracks in the Floor, Wall, or Foundation

During your home inspection, make sure to look found cracks in the floors, walls, and foundation as well. It’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference between normal foundation cracks and severe cases. Make a note if your home’s brick exterior has gaps in addition to any cracks you’ve noticed.

A broken chimney, floor cracks, and wall fissures can all indicate foundation issues.

Over time, it’s possible for your home’s foundation to move. When that happens, the cracks will become more noticeable.

One of the main causes of a foundation problem is unstable soil. However, inclement weather conditions could also contribute to the cracks you’re noticing.

These fractures will appear either angular or horizontal. If you notice horizontal cracks, it’s likely your foundation was impacted by excessive amounts of water. Angular cracks, on the other hand, are often caused when by brick that’s in contact with a slab foundation.

Look for cracks near the corners of your home’s exterior. If they run up and down, these cracks are stair-step cracks and could indicate a major problem.

Vertical cracks, on the other hand, aren’t usually signs of major issues.

5. Tilting Chimney

Most people think of tilting chimneys as a trick of the eyes. However, a leaning chimney could indicate a serious foundation problem. You’ll need to get it repaired as soon as possible.

Tilting chimneys are a common issue among residences. If you start to notice your chimney is leaning to one side, you might also recognize a gap between the house and the chimney. A noticeable bow or lean in your chimney is an indicator of a bad foundation, too.

In most cases, chimneys are built on a separate foundation from the main structure. Other reasons the chimney might tilt can include:

• Poor drainage
• Shallow footings
• Poor or unsuitable soils for a concentrated load
• Uncompacted fill material

If you have a tilting chimney, a specialist might use a helical or resistance pier to fix it. These tools help transfer the weight of your chimney deeper into the earth for support.

6. Stuck Doors and Windows

No one enjoys struggling with difficult windows and doors. However, these are also signs of foundation issues you shouldn’t ignore.

In addition to stuck doors and windows, almost look for:

• Cracks in your windows
• Doors and doors that don’t open and close correctly
• Uneven floors that sip
• Diagonal cracks near the top corners of window and door openings

Your windows and doors provide security and ventilation. If they’re not functioning properly, it’s time for repairs.

7. Foundation Upheaval

Foundation upheaval often forces parts of your foundation or slab upward, which will then cause the cracks and uneven floors you’re noticing. In other cases, however, foundation upheaval can lift the entire structure.

It’s important to know that foundation upheaval and settlement are two different issues.

Foundation upheaval is very serious. It usually occurs when there:

• Is too much moisture in the soil
• Are plumbing leaks under the concrete slab
• Is expanding and contracting soil
• Are high levels of precipitation

You’ll need to identify the cause of the foundation upheaval before you can fix it. For example, your neighbor’s sprinkler system or poor drainage can both cause the problem.

From the Ground Up: 7 Signs of Foundation Issues

Don’t ignore these seven signs of foundation issues throughout your home. These problems might seem minor, but over time, they’ll stack up. Instead of ignoring the problem, call a foundation repair specialist to set your home straight!

Ready to fix your foundation issues and sell your home? Explore the Advice for Home Sellers section of the blog for more tips before you put your home on the market!